Senior Business Analyst

hastingsdirect; Bexhill-on-Sea; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Hastings Direct is seeking a Senior Business Analyst to shape change across CIO. You will collaborate with business and technology teams to understand problems, define clear requirements and help ensure solutions deliver the right outcomes for customers and colleagues.

This role is hybrid and UK-based, requiring weekly office attendance at Bexhill-on-Sea or Leicester and quarterly departmental events. You will lead analysis across large-scale initiatives and mentor junior BAs.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading analysis across complex change initiatives.
• Experience eliciting, analysing and documenting requirements, process maps and user stories.
• Excellent communication and senior stakeholder management skills.
• Experience working in Agile environments such as SAFe; understanding of waterfall delivery.

Responsibilities

• Lead detailed business analysis across large-scale projects or multiple medium-sized initiatives, taking ownership of analysis from initiation through to business readiness and delivery, ensuring business needs are fully understood and translated into meaningful outcomes.
• Evaluate end-to-end business processes and systems, using customer and user needs to define clear requirements, process maps, user stories and supporting artefacts, identifying gaps and alternative solutions where appropriate.
• Translate complex business requirements into clear, concise and unambiguous specifications, working closely with Solution Architects and delivery teams to identify and document sustainable solutions.
• Facilitate workshops and stakeholder engagement sessions to gather requirements, explore options, challenge assumptions and achieve agreed outcomes across business and technical teams.
• Manage analysis deliverables, scope, dependencies and risks, ensuring change is delivered within agreed time, cost and quality expectations, while supporting backlog readiness for PI planning events through clear priorities and well-prepared documentation.
• Review and refine defects, backlog items, user stories and other analysis artefacts to ensure they are relevant, clearly defined and ready for delivery teams to progress, while maintaining consistent quality standards through peer reviews.
• Provide line management, coaching and mentoring to Business Analysts and Junior Business Analysts, delivering constructive feedback, developing capability and helping drive continuous improvement and best practice across the BA community.

Skills

Business Analysis

Stakeholder Management

Analytical Thinking

Communication

Agile / SAFe

Job description

Senior Business Analyst

This is a hybrid role, requiring attendance at our Bexhill or Leicester office at least once per week and at quarterly departmental events. As such, applicants must be located within a 90-minute commuting distance of one of these offices.

We're a digital insurance provider with ambitious plans to become The Best and Biggest in the UK market. Over the past few years, we've made significant investments in our data and tech capabilities, particularly within our CIO function. Our CIO team is at the forefront of driving innovation and ensuring our technology infrastructure supports our ambitious goals. We've nurtured our 4Cs culture, fostering collaboration, creativity, and continuous improvement.

We're proud of the journey we're on as a company and know that our continued success will rely on the contribution of our talented colleagues. The CIO team plays a crucial role in this journey, working on cutting-edge projects that turn many of our business ambitions into reality.

We provide insurance to over four million customers, but we know there's even bigger opportunity out there. The fact you're now reading this job advert means we've tempted you to find out more about #lifeatHD - we really hope you like what you see, and you'll join us to share in the success of the exciting chapter that lies ahead.

We understand some people may not apply for jobs unless they feel they tick every box. If you are excited about joining us and think you have some of what we are looking for, even if you're not 100% sure, we would love to hear from you. Our CIO team is always looking for passionate individuals who are eager to make a difference and contribute to our success.

What does the role involve?

As a Senior Business Analyst, you'll play a key role in shaping and delivering change across CIO. You'll work closely with business and technology teams to understand problems, analyse options, define clear requirements and help make sure solutions deliver the right outcomes for our customers and colleagues.

This role is suited to experienced BAs who can lead analysis across larger or more complex change, provide leadership and coaching to other BAs, manage senior stakeholder relationships and support high-quality delivery through strong documentation, sound judgement and clear communication.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Lead detailed business analysis across large-scale projects or multiple medium-sized initiatives, taking ownership of analysis from initiation through to business readiness and delivery, ensuring business needs are fully understood and translated into meaningful outcomes.
• Evaluate end-to-end business processes and systems, using customer and user needs to define clear requirements, process maps, user stories and supporting artefacts, identifying gaps and alternative solutions where appropriate.
• Translate complex business requirements into clear, concise and unambiguous specifications, working closely with Solution Architects and delivery teams to identify and document sustainable solutions.
• Facilitate workshops and stakeholder engagement sessions to gather requirements, explore options, challenge assumptions and achieve agreed outcomes across business and technical teams.
• Manage analysis deliverables, scope, dependencies and risks, ensuring change is delivered within agreed time, cost and quality expectations, while supporting backlog readiness for PI planning events through clear priorities and well-prepared documentation.
• Review and refine defects, backlog items, user stories and other analysis artefacts to ensure they are relevant, clearly defined and ready for delivery teams to progress, while maintaining consistent quality standards through peer reviews.
• Provide line management, coaching and mentoring to Business Analysts and Junior Business Analysts, delivering constructive feedback, developing capability and helping drive continuous improvement and best practice across the BA community.

Skills, knowledge and experience

Strong Business Analyst experience leading analysis across complex change initiatives, with the ability to take ownership of multiple priorities and deliver high-quality outcomes.

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify risks, opportunities, gaps and solutions through a methodical and inquisitive approach.

Proven experience eliciting, analysing and documenting requirements, process maps, user stories and other artefacts to support effective decision-making and delivery.

Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and build effective relationships with senior stakeholders, including Head of and Director level, challenge constructively and translate complex technical information into clear business language.

Experience working within Agile environments such as SAFe, with an understanding of waterfall delivery and a strong focus on quality, governance and risk management.

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